Asus Tuf as opposed to Strix?

donmclarenson

I went to Micro Center i mid August looking to build my first PC, so I'm new to the whole building process and all the different choices for components. I knew I wanted to spring for the Geforce RTX 4090 GPU, but I wasn't aware at the time that different manufacturers besides Nvidia produced the cards like Asus, MSI, etc. I told the attendant who helped me select components that I wanted to go big and get the best 4090 there. He goes to the back and brings me the Asus TUF 4090, so I assume that's the best one. I've come to learn that the ROG Strix is actually the flagship and is an overall better card than the TUF. So my question is, when I asked for the best card, why was I given the TUF as opposed to the superior flagship Strix card?

Overall I'm happy with the build, but when I learned this fact I was still and still am a bit bummed, and confused. I know it's my responsibility to do the research, but I was counting on this guy's expertise, and feel like there must've been some directive to move TUF cards on the sales floor that day, like there was a sales contest and I got short changed because of it. If the Strix is more expensive, and I asked for the best one, why wouldn't he push the Strix on me? It's better for everyone in theory. I'm sure I sound like Spalding from Caddyshack complaining about his lunch, whether to get a hamburger or a cheeseburger, but whatever.

PowerSpec_KenJ

The TUF card and the Strix card are identical cards once you remove the cooler. The only real difference between the two is aesthetic, but the TUF card is cheaper and would be my choice between the two. That is likely why the associate recommended the TUF over the Strix.

donmclarenson

Maybe, but I was under the impression that proper cooling is a key element to performance boosting, so given the option I mightve gone the other way. I didnt mention originally, but he also saddled me with the Tuf motherboard (again, inferior) and a Tuf monitor. I blame myself first though. I was blinded by my ignorancce amd excitement of finally making the big purchase. Tuf was definitely what was being pushed though, and it is unfortunate because I wanted to go top shelf on everything. Thank you for your time.